In the ancient world, Pyxides were most often used by women as boxes for cosmetics, jewellery, or trinkets. These vessels often accompanied their owner all the way to the grave, with many recovered from burials. Sometimes pyxides functioned as votive offerings in the sanctuaries of female deities.
This pyxis is Italic, meaning it was produced on the Italian peninsula. During the Classical and Hellenistic periods, there were many Greek colonies situated in Italy, which were instrumental in bringing Greek culture to the Romans.
To find out more about different types of Greek vessel please see our relevant blog post: Collecting Greek Vases.
